Take Flight
by knives4cash
Summary: Blake and Yang get together for a completely normal activity. The beginning of a beautiful relationship ensues.


Part forty-five of my RWBY series "Pollination: The Bumblebee and White Rose"

* * *

As I open the door, the smell of dust immediately fills my nostrils; the scent is magnified by my superior sense of smell. I find that dust is like a perfume. Some will find it repulsive; others will be drawn to it; one may be overwhelmed by it; and another may not be able to get enough of it. Inhaling, I breath a sigh of content. I do love that scent.

Of course, this is one of Beacon Academy's many workshops. An exquisite room positioned on the first floor with large windows and several framed images of historical weapons ranging from the Roman Gladius to one of the earliest scythe rifles produced. But the eye-sparkling, jaw dropping and drooling feature is the reloading bench. All fifty of them line the corners of the room, ten on the length and five on the width. It is in one of these several rooms that students measure out their dust, load their cases, dismantle their weapons, or build themselves a new one from scratch. The tables are large enough to accommodate any weapon that the human or faunus body could wield.

Selecting a workbench closest to the door, I place Gambol Shroud on the top, my canister of black dust to the left, and my three boxes of cases, primers, and hollow point rounds to the right. Thankfully I only need to load three-hundred rounds, not dismantle my weapon, so all I have to do today is pour my dust into a machine that resembles a coffeemaker, input the number of grams that I want dispersed on command, and then set myself to the mundane task of manually cycling three-hundred empty cases and primes into place and loading the hollow point rounds into the case, creating a live round.

Ugh.

If I weren't on such a strict salary, I'd almost be tempted to buy loaded rounds in bulk and be done with the matter.

But, there is ONE redeeming quality to going about the task by hand.

I sense a unique aura flare. "Honey, I'm hooome!" Yang declares as she slams the door open and struts in with a box of her own dust, cases, primers, and buckshot. Her scent immediately fills the vicinity.

I smirk. Our role playing has become a standard part of the friendship we have. "You're home early," I play along with a smirk. "My secret lover just barely jumped out the window."

She laughs and pulls up a stool to the reloading bench to my left. Her aura is slowly declining. "I hope he can run fast, 'cause the Yang train has no brakes!" She informs me as she carefully removes a tray of empty shotgun shells.

"How do you know it's not a she?" I shoot back with a scoff.

She shakes her head and chuckles. "Of course, how could I get confused? I was reading a story about people living in a universe where only guys can screw girls because they were ruled by a higher intelligence that apparently had the right to say who they could and could not love." She quickly finishes her explanation with a sharp draw for breath. I can smell the lava cake that she apparently had for a snack. Or a meal.

I roll my eyes as I continue my task. "It sounds like a rather stupid story." I remark. I've read plenty of bad stories, but that sounds like an idiotic plot.

Yang adds, "I stopped reading it after seventeen pages." She has set about her semiweekly ritual of carefully loading her shotgun shells with either buckshot or slugs. This week has been shot with just a sprinkle of slug.

"So, read any books that were actually good?" I ask as she begins to get into the rhythm of repeating a process a few hundred times.

She pauses and hums in thought. "Not really. Got any recommendations?" She asks as she starts manufacturing fresh shells.

Heh, I'm sure she would be TOO interested in my yaoi and yuri smut novels. "Have you read the classics? 'Miniature Females'? 'Small Home on The Really Big Field'?" I did like that series, but the name was just a mouthful to say.

Yang chuckles and shakes her head. That massive blanket of golden hair always seems to glisten as it moves. It definitely stands out against her albino skin. Everyone on this planet has albino skin. Huh, I wonder if we should be worried about that... "Nah, I've already read 'em. Got anything more... exciting?"

Hmm. "I've been reading some articles about having dogs versus having cats for pets." I inform her. "Would that interest you?"

Yang dismissively waves a hand. "Not for this gal. Cats are a billion times better than dogs." Really now? I don't mind feeling good about that.

"It is a highly debated topic." I point out to her, even though I agree. "Why cats?"

The blonde sighs, obviously recalling fond memories. Her aura briefly flares as she recalls, "I never got to have a pet, but I'd always see the strays and play with 'em. They didn't mind having me around, and they seemed to enjoy my love." She pouts. "The dogs would always run away or bark at me." Poor thing. "What about you, Blake?" She asks as she fills her machine up with more dust. "Are you a cat or dog person?"

I smirk. "I am partial to the fairer species of cat."

Yang nods knowingly. "Makes sense."

"What do you mean?" I've been very careful to hide my status. She couldn't figure it out.

Yang looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously? You're more cat than human." She then goes on to explain, "You're so feline. You groom yourself; you're happy to be just about anywhere; you hate swimming; your eyes are even catlike!" She points to her own lilac eyes to emphasize her point.

"Huh." I mutter as I turn my attention back to restocking Gambol Shroud. "I hadn't noticed."

The two of us fall back into silence. The only sounds are of the machines at work, pouring dust and punching primes into place. Persistently. Probably. Pterodactyl. Heh. Yang must be rubbing off on me.

"Sooo…" Yang begins after a few minutes of diligent work. "Let's talk girl stuff. Got your eye on anyone?"

I scoff. "Personal much?"

"Hey, we're teammates!" Yang defends herself as her aura flares briefly. "Knowing this stuff will help us work better!"

"How?"

"Um." She pauses. "Uuuuh." Hah.

"I thought so."

Her aura skyrockets. I can only assume out of frustrating defeat. "Fine! I'm a nosy girl! But at least I'm an honest, nosy girl." She finishes with a pout. "C'mon, there's gotta be at least one guy or girl you've got a fancy for!" She prods. "What about Weiss?"

I actually have to stop what I'm doing and turn my body towards her and stare her dead in the eyes.

Her grin falters. "Okay, so you and the Ice Queen won't be having hate sex anytime soon. Good to know." She adds with a giggle as she turns back to her work.

Honestly, me and the girl? As if.

"What about Velvet?" Huh. I did not expect to hear that.

"The faunus?" I clarify.

Yang finalizes in a serious tone, "The person." Ah, I now see where Yang stands on the issue of humans interacting with faunus.

I smile. A small weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I've had to work with several humans who were against faunus, but it's relieving to know that my teammate is in favor of equality. "Velvet Scarlatina." I let the name roll off my tongue. "She's nice, but she's too introverted for a relationship."

Yang nods. "Not just 'cause she has a second set of ears?" Oh, come now. That's just insulting.

"No, Yang. I'm all for equal rights in case it isn't completely obvious to you yet." I shoot back. "Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, whether they're human or faunus, whether they're albino or-" Huh. For some reason, I feel like there should be a second skin color. But… there isn't.

"Albino or.. some other skin color?" Yang asks.

I nod.

She frowns. "Everyone around here IS albino." She observes as she continues adding dust and loading new shells. "Is that a problem? I feel like that might be a problem."

"You know, I feel the same way, but I think it's fine." I give my opinion with confirmation.

She shrugs. "If you say so, partner."

I smirk. "Likewise, partner."

We continue on in silence for a few more minutes.

"Hey, I do remember starting a good story!" She quickly exclaims with a grin. Her aura briefly flares. This must be a decent story. "It's about two people being forced to work together for four years, but they hit it off and then decide to try dating."

"Is it any good?" I've read plenty of romance stories. This one doesn't sound too special, but they all have had their charms. You read one, you read all; and yet, not all stories are written by the same pen, even if they have the same words.

"I don't know." Yang answers as she stops entirely and looks to me. "I've only gotten to the part where the girl asks her teammate out."

Oh.

"The teammate hasn't given her an answer yet." Yang adds.

I pause. "Um…" Wow, I'm actually at a loss for words. "The teammate…" Urgh, there just isn't a good way to bring these questions up at a good time. "The teammate needs a few moments to think."

Yang nods. "The girl understood." She replies with a smile.

Okay, Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long has asked you out. Okay, okay, let's just take a step back and analyze the proposal. If I date Yang, I'm going to need to be ready for the demand of a high maintenance girlfriend. I can handle high maintenance. "The teammate doesn't do flings." I explain to Yang. "The teammate wants a legitimate relationship."

Yang nods. "The girl wants the same thing."

I nod in understanding. Yang can be serious; she can stand up for what she feels is right; and I know she can defend those whom she cares for. But, say we become intimate. I have to reveal my faunus nature to her. Would Yang still accept me?

...Definitely.

Okay, Blake. Yang's serious about this. "If these two were to try dating and failed, would the girl feel discontent towards her teammate?"

Yang shrugs. "The girl respects her teammate, and if her teammate feels that they won't work, then the girl will be perfectly fine with that."

I nod.

"Although…" Yang adds, "The girl will be pretty mad if some random schmuck manages to win her heart, so she has decided to strike while the iron is hot. And single." She grins.

I scoff, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "I don't mean to spoil your book, Yang. But I think I know how the chapter ends."

Yang leans forward. "A game of laser tag followed by coffee and cookies in a nice cafe?"

Hmm. I suppose that would be fun. "I see you read ahead." I observe with a smile.

Yang smiles back and chuckles, "Oops?" She shrugs her shoulders. "I feel really bad. Can I have a hug to feel better?"

"I don't know." I raise an eyebrow at her. "Can you?"

Now SHE is the one to roll her eyes and scoff. "Fine, MAY I have a hug to feel better?" She asks correctly, raising her arms out expectantly.

I answer with an embrace, causing Yang's aura to shoot through the roof. To be fair, she doesn't know I'm a faunus, and she hasn't yet learned to mask her aura. Her hair smells like charcoal; her skin is abnormally warm; her scent fills my nostrils; and her abnormally large breasts press against me.

I actually feel… good.

But, it is only for a few seconds; and we detach as quickly as we united, sitting back down on our stools.

Yang grins in confidence. "So, how does you and me versus Ruby and the Ice Queen sound?"

I smirk. "They're going to need more troops, if they want a fair fight." I inform her.

Her aura flares, and her grin is golden. "Oooh." She points both fingers at me. "You." She nods. "You're a keeper."

I smirk as we return to the task of resupplying our weapons of ammunition. I'm young; I'm inexperienced; but I have a gut feeling that this just might work.

And if it does, then I won't have to hide my faunus heritage from her.

I think things are going to work out.

It's not as if she'll drag me into crazy shenanigans, right?

* * *

A/N: After "Incorrectly Calculated Caper," people requested that I write a Bumblebee origin story. I live to serve, yes?

Here's the outline I did for this oneshot.

What do I want this story to accomplish? Bumblebee takes flight

Characters: Blake, Yang

1. Establish Blake and Yang, Blake's POV. 500 words  
A. Where are they? Reloading bench. B there first; Y walks in

2. Conversation leading up to Yang asking Blake out 800  
A. What's a conversation B and Y haven't had? Cats vs dogs. Y likes cats, appeases B  
B. Where would this conversation take place? Reloading bench, add more words 4 action

3. Give Blake 100-300 words of thought concerning question.  
Yang's a hyperactive girl, very high-maintenance. Could she handle it?  
She has her charms though. Compassionate, kind, open-minded, quick-witted in the worst possible way  
Would this be a serious relationship? She'd have to reveal her faunus heritage.  
Would it make thing weird with Team RWBY?  
What if it doesn't work out?

4. Sig. Other says yes. 100 words


End file.
